title: Prenatal methylmercury exposure through maternal rice ingestion: insights from a feasibility pilot in Guizhou Province, China.
abstract: Maternal hair and blood were investigated as biomarkers for prenatal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure among seventeen mothers recruited at parturition in Wanshan, Guizhou Province, China, where rice ingestion was the primary MeHg exposure pathway and atmospheric mercury (Hg) levels were elevated. For all three trimesters (n = 51), hair total Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.27 to 4.9 μg/g (median: 0.96 μg/g) and 0.077 to 2.3 μg/g (median: 0.43 μg/g), respectively, while blood THg levels ranged from 1.7 to 11 μg/L (median: 3.0 μg/L, n = 17). Despite adequate hair washing procedures, median %MeHg (of THg) was 37% (range: 14-89%, n = 51), indicating exogenous inorganic Hg(II) contamination or incorporation of elemental Hg (Hg(o)) into the hair shaft were important. Rice MeHg levels (n = 17) were highly correlated with blood THg (r(2) = 0.66) compared to hair MeHg (r(2) = 0.31) (when variables were log10-transformed), suggesting blood THg was a more preferable biomarker for prenatal MeHg exposure within this population.
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Arnold School of Public Health, 921 Assembly Street, Room 401, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. rothenberg.sarah@sc.edu
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rothenberg
authors.forename: Xiaodan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D009035:Mothers; D012275:Oryza; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds
keywords: Methylmercury; Prenatal exposure; Reference dose; Rice ingestion